Demons of the Air
by Night Black-Goddess of Wolves
Summary: San and Ashitaka face someone from Ashitaka's past, who brings with her a new threat who seemingly destroyed her people... READ AND REVIEW!
1. Departure

Chapter 1; Departure  
  
  
  
San smiled at her "pup", Maura, trying to conceal her fear and anticipation. The eight year old looked up and blinked at her mother with big brown eyes, inherited from her father, who had just walked in, his form shadowing the doorway of the small house he had built them when Maura had been borne to San.  
  
"San, I know something is bothering you, I can smell the fear on you, for all my feeble senses. What is it?" he asked, crossing his arms.  
  
"Something is coming, I can smell them on the borders of our territory. It... they are wolves. Not of our tribe." she answered, her upper lip curled up in a snarl.  
  
"What?" growled Ashitaka, his instincts taking over, "someone invades our territory?"  
  
"Yes. Maura is not safe here, she must stay in the den my mother kept me in so long ago." San replied, motioning for Maura to come forward, which she did. "Mama? What is going on? Why do you look so angry? Did I do something bad?" she asked, her small hand taking San's outstretched one.  
  
"No little one, you did nothing wrong. Something comes, and they are who anger me. You must go to the caves with my brothers and Yakul, and stay there. Do you understand me?"  
  
"No! Mama, I don't want to leave you and Papa all alone. You need me to protect you! What if you go and do something stupid? I'm the only voice of reason in here!" she shouted, sounding so mature for her young age. She gripped the hilt of her dagger which had been crafted by her mother and Ashitaka.  
  
"No sweet. You may be the voice of reason between us, but now you must listen to us. In this situation, we know best. Do you understand me?" replied Ashitaka, kneeling down to face his daughter.  
  
"...Alright Papa. I understand. Don't get hurt! I will call my uncles." she walked passed her father and cupped her hands to her lips and let out a strong howl. Immediately, San's two wolf-brothers came barreling down the hillside towards the small hut, and stopped at the door infront of Maura.  
  
"You called little one?" asked the eldest, baring his fangs affectionately.  
  
"I must go to the caves with Yakul. Where is Yakul?" she asked, light brown hair, which had been cropped short waving slightly across her high- cheekboned face. Her animal-skin garb blew in sync with her hair, and she looked so much like her mother, with the spirit of her grandmother.  
  
"The elk grazes in the fields to the north. I will get him." replied the youngest brother, and he bounded off, his great shaggy fur brushed back with his speed.  
  
"San, it would be better for Maura to stay with Toki and Koroku..." Ashitaka trailed off and looked at his love. As he had thought so many years ago, when they first had met, with the blood splotted over her face, she was beautiful.  
  
"...yes. It will be safer for her there, but she won't understand. She dislikes humans almost as much as me... but she understands them, and how they use nature to live, better than I do. You have taught her much Ashitaka, about the human world, and I teach her about the wolves... will we ever be safe though? Now that they aproach, I smell a human, very faintly... she is like me. A wolf-girl."  
  
"What?! Another wolf-girl? But how? And where do they come from?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. The length of time he had spent with the wolves had given him their instincs and quirks, and their love.  
  
"I don't know where they came from... but they are on our land. I want them out, or to explain themselves..."  
  
Maura smiled as the great red elk Yakul galloped up to her, followed by the youngest of San's brothers.  
  
"Mama! Papa!" she called, whirling around to face the door. Ashitaka and San walked out slowly and smiled at their daughter, while Ashitaka walked over to his oldest and dearest friend, Yakul.  
  
"Yakul, you have carried me and San faithfully for all these many years, and now I must ask you to carry our daughter the same way you have carried me, swift and carefully. You led me through showers of arrows, and I did not get hit once. Please, bring my daughter to Iron town, to Toki and Koroku." Yakul tossed his head and whinied in response, and San moved foreward. "Yakul, you are a dear, dear friend, and I ask you now to carry my beloved daughter to Toki and Koroku. You are the Wind, travel as so. Thank you, my friend." she stroked his neck afectionately, and he seemed to nod and agree.  
  
"Mount Maura, you will go to Toki and Koroku in Iron Town. Please understand..." whispered Ashitaka, his eyes pleading with his daughter. Maura's fists were clenched and she glared at him with anger, "NO! You said I was going to the mountain!! I WON'T GO TO THE TOWN!" she hollered, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"You must daughter. Pups listen to their mothers, so listen to me now! This is for your own safety. Go!" San replied, kneeling down and embracing Maura who squirmed, but surrendered to her mother's grasp. San lifted her up, and Ashitaka stepped close, holding both his mate, and pup close.  
  
"Becareful Mama, Papa. I'll go..." But I won't promise to stay... she thought to herself.  
  
"Thank you Maura. Go with the speed of the Wind." whispered San as Ashitaka set her on Yakul's back, and Yakul immediately leaped foreward, racing towards Iron Town...  
  
Ashitaka turned to San with determination etched into his handsome features, "come, let us find those intruders." he growled, and San nodded. She jumped onto the eldest of her wolf brothers, and Ashitaka climbed onto the youngest. They raced off, being guided by their noses... 


	2. Tresspassers

Chapter 2; Tresspassers  
  
San and Ashitaka rode hard on the backs of her two wolf brothers, who were as agitated that someone would tresspass on their territory as San and Ashitaka.  
  
"They're close," growled the eldest, his lips curled back to reveal his razor sharp fangs.  
  
"Yes, we should confront them soon..." murmured San, as a great black wolf erupted from the brush infront of them. The black wolf snarled at the four of them, as a girl wearing an outfit extremely similar to Ashitaka's, sat on his broad back. Blue triangles were tatooed on her face, a chain of wolf claws were strung around her neck holding on a short cape of black wolf fur. Strapped around her shoulders was a sheath with a short sword in it, along with a dagger in her belt that looked hand crafted, and a bow was slung around her shoulders with a quiver of arrows on her side. Her eyes widdened when she looked upon Ashitaka, and she choaked out his name, "Ashi...taka..." she leaped off the big wolf and raced foreward, stopping only at a rapid snap of the youngest wolf brothers jaws. Her eyes flashed and she glared at the wolf, standing to her full height and baring her teeth like fangs. Ashitaka looked upon the girl who looked very familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.  
  
"Who are you? Why do you tresspass on our lands?" growled Ashitaka, getting off the wolf to walk up to the girl, as San leaped off her brother's back and came around to stand beside Ashitaka.  
  
"My name is Than, and I come to ask the Forest Spirit for help... but he is not here. I do not feel his presence. Tell me, where is the forest spirit??" she asked, bewildered, her eyes wide with fear.  
  
"The Great Forest Spirit is dead." replied San harshly, her upper lip curled.  
  
"No! This cannot be!" Than turned back around to face the black wolf, who was a bit bigger than Moro had been. "Where is Moro, the guardian of this forest?" asked the black wolf, his golden eyes gleaming, and not in the least frightened of the two humans and smaller pups.  
  
"My mother, is also dead." replied San, looking up at the big wolf.  
  
"What? You say your mother, ah, I understand now. You are Moro's human pup. I am the guardian of the Great Forest far to the east of here... I have adopted Than, because her people have been killed by a great demon."  
  
"Her people? To the east...?" Ashitaka's people, the Emishi lived far to the east of here. "Tell me, are you of... of the Emishi?"  
  
"Yes! My village was entirely destroyed by the demon! I came to ask help of the guardian of this forest, but I see that she is dead..." Than trailed off and peered up at Ashitaka, "tell me, what is your name?"  
  
San jumped foreward and growled, "It is none of your business! You should turn your tail and leave our territory before my dagger finds your flesh!"  
  
"San, becareful, they don't seem to mean any harm." whispered Ashitaka.  
  
"What does that matter? You do not know enough of our customs yet human," barked San's eldest brother, and Ashitaka was taken aback, he had not been called 'human' by the great wolf brother for many winters.  
  
"No, in true wolf custom, I could do battle with the leader of your pack, and should I win, I would be the leader." growled the black wolf god, who still had not revealed his name.  
  
"Hmmph, I could tear out your throat before you knew what hit you old timer," growled the young one.  
  
"I would enjoy seeing you try. You are but a pup, and know nothing of true strength." replied the wolf, glaring at the younder wolf with his gleaming golden eyes.  
  
"Enough! If you have come here seeking aid, you will not find any here, sorry." muttered Ashitaka, glancing over at the girl. "You say that... the Emishi have been totally destroyed but you, why were you not killed as well?"  
  
"She was with me and my pack," growled the black god. "What business is it of yours to know her affairs?"  
  
"Father, enough. He was just asking." whispered Than, swinging herself up onto his large back. "If we will not find help from you, then we will look else where."  
  
"Yes! Get out of here before my fangs find you!" growled the eldest wolf.  
  
"Do shut up. I came here seeking aid, not looking for a fight." snapped Than.  
  
"Do not talk to my brother in that way girl!" snarled San, stepping foreward.  
  
"I will talk to your brother any way I wish," replied Than, leaping off to land infront of San.  
  
"Fool. I have been a wolf longer than you, and know more ways of fighting than you ever will. Do you challenge me?" growled San lightly, her hand on the hilt of her dagger.  
  
"Yes! For the sake of my pack, I will try and defeat you, so that they may roam these lands!" she snapped, baring her teeth and slashing foreward with her dagger. San dodged quickly to the side and drew her dagger, stabbing downward quickly. Than reached up and parried, slipping her moccassined foot under to trip San. San fell with a loud thump, but quickly rolled to the side and slashed across Than's back as she plunged her dagger into the ground. Than's head whipped up and pain raced arcoss her features, but yancked her dagger out of the ground and sliced San's arm open, then punched her in the gut with a quick sweep. San went down, but quickly parried another slash of Than's dagger with her own, and lashed out with her foot, but Than was nimble and dashed to the side, avoiding the swift kick that would have contacted her chest. San flipped onto her feet, eyes flashing violently.  
  
The two circled eachother as Ashitaka watched, worry etched in his features. The two wolf brothers watched with amuzement as this black wolf pup tried to take on their San. The Black God gazed on the battle, his face not showing emotion.  
  
Than had had enough of this game of dodging and parrying, so she ran in and tackled San to the ground, as San's dagger flew from her hand at the unexpected motion. Than brought her dagger down and stopped mere inches from San's throat as she straddled San, pinning her down.  
  
"I have won this battle." she stated clearly, and San whimpered in defeat. Than stood, and sheathed her dagger as blood dribbled down her back. San sood and retrieved her dagger, slipping it into her sheath. The eldest of San's brother raced forward and snapped his massive jaws at Than, who dodged to the side and leaped up, landing firmly on his back. She clung to his shaggy pelt as he bucked and snarled, trying to dislodge her. However, Than would not be thrown and she mastered the wolf. She climbed off slowly, showing her domination. Ashitaka stared at her, and the recognition clicked into place. "Kaiya...?" he whispered and stepped foreward after checking his mate's injuries. Than's eyes widdened and she stepped back, "How do you know that name?! Who are you?" she demanded, snarling.  
  
"I am Ashitaka.. your brother."  
  
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Okay, so I'm *not* the best writer in history, and whether you like of not, please review! *begs wif 'er little wolfy eyes* 


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